Page 8 of Take Two

“Is this your type?” I ask him.

“I mean, she’s pretty, right?” He takes the phone back from me and looks at the picture. I don’t say it, but he can do much better than this. “We texted a few times, and she seemed okay.”

“Okay? Well, that’s not exactly an endorsement. It was a good first effort. It got you out the door. What’s your type? What do you like in a—” He puts the phone down before I can finish my sentence.

Chapter 4

Charlie

“I’m gonna be really honest here, Violet. I’m not sure what my type is other than female.” I laugh and she grins. She moves her chair closer, and I find that I like it. She has a calming way about her, and she hasn’t judged me once since we ran into each other. She also smells so good, and I don’t know what the fragrance is, but I like it. I likeit a lot.

“Female,” she repeats. She nods in approval. When she grins her nose scrunches and her eyes sparkle.

“A soft woman who smells good and is easy to talk to.” Someone like you, but I keep that thought to myself. “Someone understandin’ because I have a lot of baggage. Part of my recovery is being open and honest, so I don’t plan on hidin’ what I’ve been through. Not that I want to talk about it all the time, I just want them to know. Sometimes things come up, and I want to be able to express myself and not walk on eggshells around her.” I think of my brother and Vickie who share everything. Sometimes they talk with just their eyes. That’s what I want, but I keep most of that to myself. No need to unload all of this on a stranger, even though this is the best conversation I’ve had in a long time.

“And have your back when they need to, right?” she asks.

“That wouldn’t hurt. Maybe what happened tonight is a good thang,” I say now that I’ve thought about it. “I’m constantly looking for safe spaces for myself. Whenever I’m not at home and can’t control the environment, I have to make a safe space, and Tiffany clearly isn’t that. Now I sound like a bottomless pit of need. This is hopeless. You probably think I’m a taker.”

“That thought never crossed my mind, and anyone worth your time won’t think it either. Everyone has their issues, Charlie. You’re lucky that you know what yours is. Some people walk around and have no idea and wonder why they can’t keep a job or a relationship. You’re ahead of the curve.”

“You could have another career as a motivational speaker, do you know that?” I ask. It’s true. Just being here with her for this short amount of time has me feeling better than I have in months.

“Well, that’s part of my job as a personal trainer.” She grins at me.

“I’d do thangs for her too,” I say quickly. “It’s not just about me and my problems, but I have to make my issues clear. That’s all.” I make sure to look at her when I say that. There’s a part of me that wishes this was my date, and I was with her talking openly about myself. At the end of the night, we’d share a hug and a kiss with talks of seeing each other again soon.

“I think that’s fair. I’d want to know something like that. I’m not saying I’d need to know right away, but in time,” she says. She rests her hand on my wrist like she did earlier, and I like it. Her touch is warm and soft. She smells good and light. Like strawberries with a hint of musk. She definitely smells good enough to eat. I look down, grateful that my jeans are on the large side and that my arousal is not obvious. “Tell me what you’d do for her?” she whispers, and I almost forget what the heck we were talking about.

“Uh,” I say clearing my throat. “I love to cook. I’ll do all the cooking. I’m pretty handy and can fix anythang. Massages. Foot rubs. Buy her pretty thangs. Whatever she wants.” I put one hand on top of the one she put on my wrist. Her hand looks so small underneath mine, but her skin is supple. I run my thumb along the top of her hand, and I think I hear her soft moan, but I convince myself it was my imagination. “Vickie would yell at me for saying that. She’d lecture me about traditional gender roles. I don’t know what the heck she expects me to be other than a man,” I throw in with a laugh. “I don’t tell her this, but she does traditional gender role things for my brother too. All the time.”

Violet giggles at that. “I love their vibe. Yeah, don’t tell her this, but one time she was heating his dinner for him, and when he came out to eat, she told him she didn’t like his shirt and made him go change. And he went without complaint.”

“He’d be a fool to complain,” I add.

“And she always pretends to dislike being married when it’s so obvious she’s crazy about him,” she says.

“Love their vibe, but I’d want my woman not to pretend she doesn’t want to be with me. That’s just a Charlie thang, but I guess it works for Colt and Vickie,” I tell her. Then I let out a hearty laugh. “Maybe the guy who still lives with his mama shouldn’t go around making demands of any woman.”

“I lived with my dad until he had enough and kicked me out,” she says.

“I couldn’t be alone for the longest time, or I’d be tempted. At least I couldn’t be when I first became sober. That’s why I’m here this summer,” I toss in with an eye roll. “Colt sent Mama and her best friend Rosalie on a month-long European cruise, and she suggested I come here. I said no and that I’m fine by myself now, but then Vickie called and insisted. I think they put her up to it. I love being here, especially with my nephews, but they are always handlin’ me. I have this idea in my head that they have monthly secret meetings on how they are going to take care of Charlie. I even checked Mama’s phone once to see if they had a private chat separate from the family one we have,” I admit.

“Do they?”

“If they do, I couldn’t find it.”

“Trust that they don’t. It sounds to me like they really love you,” she says, squeezing my wrist. “No one annoys us more than the ones who love us the most. It comes with the territory.”

“I guess it beats having no one, right?”

“Definitely.”

“Now,” Violet says, “did you say that you’re willing to doallthe cooking? All of it? A-l-l.”

“Is that such a big deal?” I ask with a laugh.

“Um, yes. Whatyou’re saying is if this lucky woman wants you to make her a mountain of nachos at eleven-thirty at night, you’ll do it? I’m talking about the works. Steak, pico, guac, and cheese baked in the oven. Afterwards, you’ll put fresh jalapeños on top.”

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